UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, 29 April, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti call with Scholz, asks for support for Council of Europe bid (media)
• Tahiri: Association is not a condition for CoE; govt must be careful (media)
• Muja: I believe Kosovo has met all conditions to become CoE member (EO)
• Statistics Agency: Serbs in north resist to register, those in the south not (RFE)
• Bislimi: We are always vigilant, always calculate worst possible scenario (media)
• Von Cramon: Reason for EU measures against Kosovo no longer exists (Kallxo)
• “EU must immediately lift measures against Kosovo” (Kosovapress)
• Kurti remembers 376 killed in Meja and buried in Batajnica mass grave (media)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Office for KiM says Kurti’s regime responsible for surge of violence against Serbs (media)
• Serbian List reacts to the latest incidents targeting Serbs (media)
• Kosovo Central Bank decision made lives of Serbs difficult (Blic, Kosovo Online)
• Arlov handed over scholarships to children from Kosovo at Jarinje crossing point (Kosovo Online)
• Elshani: Prosecution informed of audio recording with Radomirovic (Kosovo Online, Novosti)
• Chinese President Xi Jinping coming to Serbia in May (N1)
• Lawyer: Pristina needs to deliver autopsy report for Serbs killed in Banjska (Kosovo Online)

Opinion:

• Baerbock: Showing courageous responsibility for our Europe (media)

International:

• Kosovo-Serbia Declaration on Missing Persons Remains Unimplemented (BIRN)
• Slovenia President Backs Predecessor as New Kosovo-Serbia Envoy (BIRN)
• British man, 53, is 'wrongly' detained in 'hellhole' prison for war crimes dating back to 1999 after being rounded up by police while trying to cross over into Croatia (Daily Mail)

Humanitarian/Development:

• Petition launched for draft law on suicide prevention in Kosovo (RFE)

Albanian Language Media:
• Kusari-Lila: Association draft to court, not a condition before vote at Committee of Ministers (EO)
• Knaus shares part of Kurt's speech in Berlin: He said he cannot impose QUINT draft statute on Serbs (Albanian Post)
• Martens: Berlin, Paris intend to postpone vote for CoE membership (Albanian Post)
• Haxhiu: CoE membership paves way for justice for war crimes (media)
• Kryeziu reacts to SL: Cameras in north are in service of public security (media)
• “Nearly 900,000 citizens registered so far, Serbs in north remain hesitant” (Klan)
• Tahiri: Kurti to explain why Serbia remains unpunished even after Banjska (EO)

Serbian Language Media:
• Two Serbs beaten up in Bosniak mahala, Mitrovica North, three Albanians arrested (Tanjug, N1, media)
• Three Albanians arrested, two more identified and one looked for, in relation to attack against Serb young man in Mitrovica North (KoSSev, media)
• Lawyer: Bosniak arrested at Brnjak crossing point over alleged war crimes sent to one-month detention (Kosovo Online)
• Kosovo police started installing security cameras in Mitrovica North, Serbian List demands their removal (KoSSev, media)
• Will holders of “second class“ travel documents, who cannot obtain Kosovo ones, finally get good news? (KoSSev)
• Vucic: Good discussion with Ashton about Serbia's future, place in world (Tanjug)
• Pahor preparing new proposal for Pristina-Belgrade dialogue (N1)
• Serbia to receive €1.6 billion from EU’s Growth Plan for Western Balkans (N1, RTS)
• Kurti surprised with State Department’s report on human rights in Kosovo (N1, BETA)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, 26 April, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti addresses event organized by German Socialist Democratic Party (media)
• Maqedonci reconfirms Kosovo’s orientation for EU and NATO membership (media)
• Rasic believes govt will send Association draft to court before mid-May (media)
• Qelaj: Missing persons issue should be priority and obligation in dialogue (media)
• KLI says Assembly made decisions in opposition with Constitution (media)
• Kurti: Vetevendosje continues to fight today’s fascism - at home, abroad (media)
• Vetevendosje MP says he won’t change position on same sex marriages (media)

Serbian Language Media: 

• First municipal assembly session held in Zubin Potok municipal building (KoSSev)
• Serbian List: Audio recording of Radomirovic and Vokrri “proves existence of organized criminal group” (Kosovo Online)
• Kabasic on census in Kosovo: What about damage after June 1999? (Kosovo Online)
• Blakaj: Why has an expert commission not been established to register war damage? (Kosovo Online)
• Mavric: Questions about war damage have no place in population census (Kosovo Online)
• YUCOM: Access to justice worsened with the exit of Serbs from institutions in Kosovo (Kontakt plus radio, N1, FoNet)
• Unstable funding, lack of personnel and unavailability of interlocutors the main problems of the Serbian media in Kosovo (KoSSev, Medija Centar, KiM radio)
• Brnabic calls all local elections for June 2 (N1, KoSSev, media)

International:

• Serbia Opposition’s Collapse Will Cost it Dearly in Elections (BIRN)
• Chinese president to visit France, Serbia and Hungary in May (euronews.com)

Albanian Language Media:

Albanian Language Media:

• Kurti: Always grateful to U.S. for its central role and support for Kosovo (media)
• Kusari-Lila: Agreement if EU convinces Serbia to not be destructive party (EO)
• Berlin expects tangible steps on Association before final vote at CoE (Express)
• Two more months in detention for suspects of Banjska attack (Klan Kosova)
• PDK proposal to discuss State Department report at Assembly not adopted (Koha)
• Maqedonci travels to Hungary, scheduled to hold several meetings (EO)
• Police confiscate five firearms and ammunition in Zvecan (Albanian Post)
• Court finds Selimi and Demaku not guilty on war crimes charges (Koha)

Serbian Language Media:

• Serbian List met EU representatives: Part of the problem in Kosovo would be solved by the formation of the ZSO (Kosovo Online)
• Detention of Serbs arrested in relation to Banjska case extended by two more months, lawyer complain of prison treatment of V.T. (KoSSev)
• Lawyer: Acts witness accuses Sladjan Trajkovic of are not even criminal offense, let alone war crimes (Kosovo Online)
• 17 persons arrested over forgery of sale-purchase authorizations for properties in Kosovo, owned by Serb displaced persons (KoSSev, N1)
• A new round of dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina today - the topic of banning the use of dinars in Kosovo (Radio Mitrovica sever, RTS)
• The testimony of an Albanian witness whose close relative was allegedly kidnapped and killed by the KLA at the Thaci trial in Hague (KoSsev, Beta)
• Dacic, Ashton discuss Belgrade-Pristina dialogue (Tanjug)
• A group of Albanians beat and robbed a Serb in North Mitrovica (NMagazin, Beta, Kosovo Online)

International:

• Kosovo Fails to Offer Protection to Whistleblowers (Prishtina Insight)
• Sarrazin: UN Resolution on Srebrenica is not against Serbia and Republika Srpska (EWB)
• Opposition Candidate Wins First Round of North Macedonia’s Presidential Vote (BIRN)

Albanian Language Media:

O'Brien meets with Kurti, seeks progress for the Association (Koha)
Germany and France demand sending of draft of Association to the Constitutional Court before the vote in the Council of Europe (Koha)
Osmani hosts delegation of EU Working Group for Western Balkans (media)
COMKFOR conveys three messages from Brussels for Kosovo (media)
Kurti calls on the diaspora to register (Koha)
Sveqla: Serbia continues to have territorial aspirations towards Kosovo (ekonomia)
Krasniqi: EU punitive measures to be removed as soon as possible (RTK)
Trajkovic: Boycott of Serbs in the north harms Kosovo Serbs themselves (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:

Ulutas: NATO supports the Belgrade and Pristina dialogue (Tanjug) 
Vucic met Guterres at the UN headquarters (RTS)
Vucic apologizes to Slovenians but not to their politicians; Dacic: Charge d’affaires rejected Slovenia’s allegations (N1, Beta, Tanjug)
SNV, SNF and Fatherland asked Brnabic to call local elections in Kosovo as well (KoSSev)
UNS: Untrue information about the March Pogrom for more than a month on the RTK2 website (KiM radio)

UNMIK Media Observer, Afternoon Edition, 24 April, 2024

Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: Serbia will try to destabilize Kosovo again, such plans are constantly being made (VoA)
• Most of EU countries are in favor of lifting measures against Kosovo (RFE)
• European Parliament approves plan of 6 billion euros for Western Balkans (Koha)
• Von Cramon: Passivization of Albanians’ addresses in the Valley must be stopped immediately (Koha)
• Freedom House: Kurti government faced a corruption scandal in 2023 (ekonomia)
• Knaus: number of Kosovo Serbs decreasing rapidly, but there is no "terror" towards them (ekonomia)
• Deliu-Kodra: Kurti government was labeled as 'government of corruption' in Department of State Report (Klan)
• Belgrade court sentences Toplica Miladinovic to 20 years in prison for war crimes in Kosovo (Klan)

Serbian Language Media: 

• Vucic: Important that we have more votes against and abstentions, which would be a heroic political success (RTS)
• The Judicial Council of Kosovo calls Serbian judges and prosecutors from the North to return (KiM radio, KoSSev, Kontakt plus radio)
• UNS submits two draft resolutions to EFJ, on murders of journalists in Kosovo and independent public channel in Serbian (KoSSev, Radio KIM, UNS)
• Belgrade-Pristina talks on use of dinar to continue tomorrow in Brussels (Tanjug)
• Belgrade war crimes court sentences former army officer for war crimes in Pec area (N1, FoNet, media)
• Pavlos: Bakoyannis in Council of Europe hasn't only harmed Serbian people, Greece could also suffer consequences (Kosovo Online)
• Drecun: Pristina, Sarajevo campaigning to portray Serbs as criminals (Tanjug, RTS)
• State Dept to VOA: US sponsoring Srebrenica resolution (N1, VoA)
• Former Kosovo FM calls Belgrade, Pristina officials to show respect (N1, social media)
Serbian Minister of Mining and Energy: EPS invested 40 million euros in a subsidiary company for supplying electricity to the north of Kosovo (Kosovo Online, Danas)

Albanian Language Media:
• Macron calls Kurti, support for Kosovo at CoE and mentions Association (media)
• Kurti thanks Macron for France’s unwavering support (media)
• Rohde: Tangible steps needed on Association in order to join CoE (KTV)
• Lajcak: I believe we have managed to narrow the gap (media)
• Croatia supports Albania’s EU membership, Kosovo at Council of Europe (Klan)
• Mothers of Srebrenica thank Osmani for statement at UN Security Council (media)

Serbian Language Media:
• Petkovic speaks with German envoy, discusses problems Serbs in Kosovo face (Tanjug)
• Lajcak announces resumption of talks on use of dinar in Kosovo (N1)
• Macron speaks with Kurti: Progress in establishing CSM important for Kosovo membership in CoE (Kosovo Online)
• BiH Presidency without consensus on Kosovo membership in CoE (Radio KIM)
• Djuric: Osmani’s ‘tasteless performance’ at UNSC session, none of women present is her adviser (N1, Kosovo Online, social media)
• Citizens of North Mitrovica on visa liberalization: Thank God, something in our favor (Kosovo Online)

Albanian Language Media:

• Osmani: Kosovo-Serbia agreement must be binding for both parties (media)
• Osmani: Kosovo is proud to have so many friends and allies by its side (media)
• Atiq: Serb citizens feel safer than in the past (Klan Kosova)
• Radomirovic: Serbs don’t want their lives led by Radoicic and Serbian List (media)
• Biserko: Serbia has not relinquished idea for Kosovo partition (media)
• Balje stopped by Serbian police: Took my documents for one hour (media)
• Deliu-Kodra: Report revealed govt’s inability to build uncorrupt institutions (Koha)
• Hoti: Report highlights govt corruption, attacks against media, judiciary (media)
• Gervalla signs decision prohibiting employment of relatives in ministry (Kallxo)
• Ukrainian MP: Serbia to renounce imperial tendencies, recognize Kosovo (RFE)
• Kamberi meets Von Cramon, talk discrimination of Albanians in the Valley (Klan)

Serbian Language Media:

• Petkovic and SL: Vucic clearly stated in NY that it is necessary to protect the Serbs in Kosovo (KiM radio)
• By advocating for the A/CSM, Belgrade working to create an independent Kosovo, says Trajkovic; No government in Pristina has treated Serbs worse, says Vorgucic (N1, KoSSev, Danas )
• The indictment for war crimes against Dragisa Milenkovic confirmed (KiM radio, RTS)
• Radomirovic “has no time” to comment on audio recording, Serbian List demands accountability (Radio KIM, KoSSev)
• Mojsilovic: Protection of fundamental human rights of Serbian people in Kosovo is still inadequate (Radio Mitrovica sever, Politika)
• European Parliament approved visa liberalization for Serbian passport holders from Kosovo (Tanjug)
• Commemoration for victims of NATO bombing at RTS (N1, RTS)
• Holocaust Remembrance Day marked in Serbia (N1, media)
• State Department: Serbia still faces problems with corruption, judiciary, media freedom (N1)

International:

• Kosovo, Serbia Trade Accusations At UN Security Council Meeting (RFE)

Albanian Language Media:
• UN Security Council meets to discuss situation in Kosovo (media)
• EU: Vote result in north of Kosovo does not contribute to reducing tensions (RFE)
• Kurti hosted in Sofia by his Bulgarian counterpart Dimitar Glavchev (media)
• U.S. State Department publishes country report on human rights for Kosovo (media)
• Over half a million citizens registered in Kosovo census so far (RTK)

Serbian Language Media:
• UN Security Council discussed report on Kosovo, SRSG Ziadeh addressed the SC (FoNet, N1, Tanjug, RTS)
• Vucic: Pristina creating unbearable living conditions for Serbs, other non-Albanians (N1, RTS, Tanjug, FoNet)
• Vucic reacts to Osmani’s remarks, terms it political theater (RTS, N1, Novosti, Kosovo Online)
• Russian Representative: Who are the persons sitting behind Vjosa Osmani and who do they represent? (RTS)
• China calls upon Pristina to retract unilateral acts leading to destabilization (RTS, media)
• Serbian List demands Radoica Radomirovic be prosecuted (Kosovo Online)
• Vucevic meets with German MFA's envoy (Tanjug)
• Vucic calls on UN members to vote against resolution on Srebrenica (N1)
International Media:
• Police Intervenes as Protesting Students Push University’s Council of Ethics to Decide on Sexual Harassment Claims (Balkan Insight)